Cardigan (, ) is a town and community in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. It is positioned on the tidal part of the River Teifi on the border with Pembrokeshire, and had a population of 4,216 at the 2021 census.
A castle was established at what would become Cardigan by the Anglo-Norman Gilbert Fitz Richard in 1110; a castle built following an earlier incursion in 1093 was short-lived. Cardigan was recaptured by the Welsh in 1164 or 1165, and the castle was rebuilt in stone by Rhys ap Gruffudd . Rhys held a gathering of bards at Cardigan in 1176 that was later recognised as the first eisteddfod. The town came under English rule for the final time in the early thirteenth century. A weekly market was established in 1277, and a borough charter was granted in 1284.
Cardigan lent its name to the historic county of Cardiganshire, which was established in 1283. It became the administrative centre of the county and hosted the courts of assize from 1536. Cardigan Castle was used as a courtroom and prison until it was replaced by a new Shire Hall in 1764, and county gaol in 1793, the latter to designs by John Nash. The town, which had always engaged in maritime trade, was successful as a port from the seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries; at its height the Port of Cardigan had jurisdiction over Newport, Fishguard, Aberaeron, Aberporth and Newquay and had 291 registered vessels. The town is no longer the county's administrative centre, Ceredigion County Council being based in Aberaeron, but the council maintains offices in Cardigan.
The town is bypassed to the east by the A487 road, which links Haverfordwest with Bangor. It has a junction with the A478 road to Tenby immediately south of the suburb of Bridgend, on the south side of the Teifi.Ordnance Survey
Toponymy Cardigan is an anglicisation of the Welsh ("Ceredig's land"), the surrounding territory its Norman castle once controlled. Ceredig was supposedly one of the sons of Cunedda Wledig, who Welsh legend records invaded from the north to recover lands in Roman Britain from invading Irishmen in late antiquity.
The Welsh name refers to its position by the mouth () of the River Teifi.
History Roman Britain The nearest known Roman fort is Bremia at the gold mines near Llanio above the River Teifi on the Sarn Helen road.
Middle ages
The present town grew up near the medieval forts established to control the access of the Teifi and its confluents to Cardigan Bay on the Irish Sea. A castle was built by Roger de Montgomery in 1093 after a Norman army conquered Ceredigion. Its hinterland was regained by Owain Gwynedd, Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd, and Gruffydd ap Rhys in October 1136 after their victory at Crug Mawr over Norman forces army led by Robert fitz Martin and Robert fitz Stephen and Maurice FitzGerald. Rhys ap Gruffydd fortified the town and was credited with the establishment of the castle near the bridge over the Teifi. In 1176, he instituted the first eisteddfod. Contestants came from all over the British Isles to compete for chairs in music and poetry. Some years later, Rhys's grandson Maelgwn razed the castle and sacked the town, but repairs were soon effected.
Cardigan became an important trade centre. In 1227 a weekly market was established which continues to this day.Jenkins, J. Geraint. Ceredigion: Interpreting an Ancient County. Gwasg Careg Gwalch (2005). Welsh rule over Cardigan continued, for some periods under royal lordship, until it was annexed to the English crown in 1283 when the county of Cardiganshire was created. The town wall was built in the 1240s and the castle was rebuilt. St Mary's Church was established as a Benedictine Priory and parish church in mediaeval times and survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The castle ceased being the administrative centre of the county with the Act of Union in 1536 and by the early 17th century was already falling into ruins.
Early modern period A small Benedictine priory operated until the Reformation and the more important abbey of St Dogmael's was also nearby. With Wales formally annexed by England through the Laws in Wales Acts, political and domestic stability boosted economic prosperity through the increase in maritime trade. At the end of the 16th century the port's principal trade was fishing, but over the next century trade expanded to include a range of imports and exports, and a Customs House was established to collect revenues.
During the Civil War, the town's castle was held for a time by the Royalists. In the 17th century, the residence erected around the old priory was famed as the home of Orinda (Catherine Philips), the friend of Jeremy Taylor.
The herring fishery developed and by the beginning of the 18th century there was a large merchant fleet. Exports included herring and salmon, slate, bark for tanning, corn and ale. Imports included oranges, manufactured goods, building materials and coal. Industries that developed included shipbuilding, brickworks, a foundry, ropemakers and sailmakers.
A county jail was erected in 1793.
In 1819, the ship Albion left Cardigan for New Brunswick, carrying the first Welsh settlers to Canada; on board were 27 Cardigan families, many of whom were farmers.
Town centre
In the 18th and early 19th century, Cardigan was the commercial centre of its county and the most important port in South Wales, exporting slate, oats, barley, and butter. In 1815, it possessed 314 ships totaling . This was seven times as many vessels as Cardiff and three times as many as Swansea.Cardigan Port at Gathering the Jewels. It had a thriving shipbuilding industry, with over 200 vessels being built both in Cardigan and downstream in the village of Llandudoch (St Dogmaels). By mid-century, it was connected with the Welsh rail network but its harbour was obstructed by a sand bar that made it dangerous for vessels over 300 tons burden except during the high spring tides.
Rural industries and craftsmen were an important part of life in a country town. Information recorded in Trade Directories show that in 1830 there were Thirteen boot makers, three bakers, one miller, four blacksmiths, seven carpenters, two coopers, six tailors, five dressmakers and milliners, two straw hat makers, two weavers, three curriers, three saddlers, two whitesmiths, four glaziers, five maltsters, two printers, two tanners and one stonemason. The houses were mostly of slate and the streets narrow, steep, and irregular, with a grammar school erected in 1804 and a national school in 1848. The town also had a public library.
Cardigan Guildhall was built between 1858 and 1860 on the site of the old grammar school and a house with a coach-house owned by Abraham Morgan. The cost of building was £1,880 5s for the front buildings, and £2,174 15s for the markets.
By the mid-19th century there were more than 60 taverns in the town. The decline of the port was hastened by the coming of the railway in 1886. The river silted up and larger vessels could no longer reach the port, which had largely become inactive by the early part of the 20th century. Some test dredging was carried out in 2009.
For the last 40 years of the 20th century, a factory in the town made 35,000 pairs of jeans per week for Marks & Spencer, but closed in 2002 with the loss of 400 jobs when M&S sourced from overseas. A new jeans manufacturer—the Hiut Denim Company—opened in 2012, employing some of the original staff and in 2017 became globally recognised for its connection with Meghan Markle.
In 2006 and 2008, the town undertook a coordinated programme of building works, sympathetically restoring many of the shop facades in the town centre. The quayside has been rebuilt with a new civic area and landing stage.
Until 2011, traders in Cardigan were represented by the Chamber of Commerce. Cardigan Traders' Group was set up in that year, attracting half of the members of the Chamber of Commerce. The new group was set to meet in February 2011 to decide how to proceed.
Cardigan was named one of the best places to live in Wales in 2017.
Cardigan and District Community Hospital closed in 2019, after outpatient services were transferred to Cardigan Integrated Health Centre. The future of the former hospital site is under discussion.
Geography Cardigan lies astride the Afon Teifi and is the last bridging point of the river before the sea northwest. It is northwest of Cardiff and from London. The majority of the town was north of the river before the 20th century. Afon Mwldan which flows south to the west of the town centre has suffered from pollution. The town and rivers are prone to flooding. An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 was felt in the community on 17 February 2018; this was the biggest UK earthquake in ten years.
Glaciolacustrine clay from local brick pits in Bath House Road and on the site of King George's field was used for brick-making until the early 20th century.
Climate Cardigan experiences a maritime climate with comfortable summers and cold winters. The nearest Met Office weather station for which online records are available is at Aberporth approximately east-northeast.
Typically, fewer than 3 days of the year will reach a value above . The highest temperature recorded at Aberporth was , on 19 July 2006. On average 18.3 nights will report air frost and the coldest night of the year should fall to . The coldest month was January 1963, with a mean minimum temperature of .
Rainfall averages around per year, with at least falling on 146.4 days.
Cardigan Castle
In 1176, Cardigan Castle became the site of the first competitive Eisteddfod. Cardigan also hosted the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 1942 and 1976. The castle was for many years privately owned and became run down and derelict. The town council itself showed little interest in saving it. However, a group of volunteers and the local Catholic priest, Seamus Cunane, working separately, did raise its profile. Ceredigion County Council bought it in 2003. The castle and house underwent restoration in 2014.
The castle is open to the public. There is luxury accommodation for hire, a heritage centre with education facilities, a restaurant, an events and open-air concert area, and there are rooms for hire for classes.
Listed buildings Including the castle (Grade I-listed) and the old bridge (Grade II*), there are over 100 listed buildings in Cardigan community, most in the town itself. These include the Old Shire Hall which is Grade II* listed.
Demographics Cardigan is the second largest town in Ceredigion with 4,203 inhabitants (2001), reducing slightly to 4,184 at the 2011 census.
At the 2001 census more than 69% of the residents were recorded as being able to speak or understand spoken Welsh, with 45% able to speak, read and write in the language. Speak or Understand spoken Welsh: 3125 out of a population of 4497; Speak, read, write: 2031 out of a population of 4497 In 2011 54.6% were able to speak Welsh. In 1176, and again 800 years later, the National Eisteddfod was held in the town (also in 1942). In 2003 the community, together with the Welsh Language Board, set up a language action plan designed to provide opportunities for people of all ages to get together to speak Welsh.
Governance There are two tiers of local government covering Cardigan, at community (town) and county level: Cardigan Town Council (Cyngor Tref Aberteifi) and Ceredigion County Council (Cyngor Sir Ceredigion). The town council meets at Ty Cadwgan at Cardigan Castle, and has its offices at 36 Pendre. Cardigan Town Council comprises thirteen councillors. Following the 2017 election the council was unique in Wales for having a female majority (seven women, six men).
Administrative history Cardigan was an ancient parish, also known as St Mary's after its parish church. The town was administered as a borough from 1284, when it received its first municipal charter.